Chair.



PATENTED SEPT. 26, 1905;

J. P.- HOKANS. I v

CHAIR. v

APPLICATION FILED MAY 28, 1904.,

2 HIIBTS-SHEET 1.

I I i NVENTOR PATENTED SEPT. 26, 1905 J. P. HOKANS.

CHAIR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY26, 1904.

M Afforneys UNITED STATES PATENT orrion.

,JOHN P. HOKANS, OF WASHlNGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

CHAIR.

To all whom, it may concern I Be it known that 1, JOHN P. HOKANS, of Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Chairs; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification. g

This invention is an improvement in chairs; and its objects are to provide an easy comfortable chair having an adjustable seat which can be shifted forward or back to suit the occupant.

The chair embodies various novel features of construction of the back, the seat, the seatadjusting devices, the arm and arm-supports, the seat supports, and other features and details of construction which will be hereinafter explained. and the particular parts and features for which protection is desired are summarized in the claims. s

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the chair. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section thereof. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail'transverse section through the seat and frame, showing the seat-adjusting .devices. Fig. 4: is a detail view of the seat-adjusting shaft. Fig. 5 is a view of the connections between arm and standard detached. Figs. 6 and 7 are enlarged detail views of the backattaching devices.

. arm parts detached. Fig; 9 is, a detail view of one of the rear seat-supports and rear leg detached. Fig. 10 is an enlarged detail sectional view through one of the support-slides, Fig. 11 is a detail view of one of the side bars. Fig. 12 is a detail view of one of the front legs.- Fig.13 is'a detail sectional view showing the connections between the bar, front leg, and front support. 3 Y

The chair isshown as a rocking-chair; butv I do not restrict myself to rockers.

The front and rear legs A B at each side of the chair are connected to and by an arched' metal bar 0, which, as shown, has its ends fitted in slots a b in the upper ends of legs AB and firmly united thereto by bolts or screws Thus the legs and bar practically constitute a solid side frame. The lower ends of the legs A B may be fastened to rockers D in any "suitable manner, said rockers being preferably constructed like Specification of LettersPatent.

Application filed May 26. 1904. Serial No. 209.913.

Fig 8 is a view of the Patented Sept, 26, 1905.

rial No. 171,131, filed August 28, 1903.

The seat E is curved upwardly at rear anddownwardly at front, having the curvature indicated in the drawings to make it most comfortable. It is supported upon and connected to the side frames by means of front supports F and rear supports Gr. These sup ports are preferably arched, so that each has two bearing-points upon the side frame. As

shown, supportsF have their inner ends slotted, as at f, to receive and fit the bar C,

which is slidably confined in such slot by a keeper f, and to the front end of the supports F are attached metal loops f which depend into slots (0 in legs A and encircle the 'bar 0, slots 0 being sufficiently long to permit sliding movement of the loops (and sup-- Set-screws ports F) on the side frames. are tapped through the lower ends of the loops and are loosened whenthe seat is to be adjusted and tightened after the seat has been adjusted to the desired position. Follower-plates f may be placed between the screws and bars to give a greater clamping effect to the screws. The supports G are similarly provided with slots g on their inner ends to receive the bar C, which is re 'tained therein by a keeper g', and the outer ends of supports G are provided with metal loops g fitted to the bars 0 within slots 6 in legs B, having set-screws g in their lower ends. Y 7

Attached to and depending from the seat intermediate the supports F G are hangers H H, in which is journaled'a transverse shaft 1,- which is surrounded between hangers H by a sleeve H. Said shaft projectsslightly be:

yond the bars (3 and lies close to the lower,

edges thereof, On the ends of the shaft just outside the hangers are placed cones t', which may be formed integral with small pinions a" exterior to the cones and with washers exterior v to the pinions, One or both sets of cones, pinions, and washers may be slidably butnot rotatably splinedon the shaft 1, and

[they are confined thereon between handwheels 1-, one or both of which maybe screwed onto the shaft, so as to be adjustable to force the cones and pinions inward or, if loosened, j

will let them separate slightly.

It willv be observed by reference to Fig. 3 that when the hand-nuts I are tightened the cones 21 are forced in under the bars O, which may have their edges beveled, and the cones serve as wedges to draw the seat down hard upon the side frames, which will give the seat additional bearing on the side frames and prevent the seat casually sliding or shifting thereon. The sleeve H prevents the cones moving too far inward and also prevents the tightening of the nuts straining the side frames laterally. When the nuts I' are loosened, the cones ease away from the bars O and pinions mesh with short segmental racks 0, attached to the side frames, and by then rotating shaft I the seat can be slid backward or forward on the side frames to the desired position and secured when adjusted by tightening up the nuts I. It will be observed that the seat when fast virtually has five points of bearing on each side frame-two through each support F and G and one just above the shaft 1.

Owing to the peculiar curved shape of the frame and the manner of slidably supporting the seat thereon, it will be observed that as the seat is moved backward its rear end will be depressed and its frontend elevated. In other words, the seat is measurably oscillated upon the shaft 1, and this peculiar nature of its adj ustment is desirable in order to obtain a more perfect balance of the chair, so as to suit its occupant.

Owing to the peculiar curvature of the seat, it is difficult or rather impractical to bend it or to cut it out of one piece, so that it will be strong enough. 1 therefore prefer to build it up out of a numberof transverse sections or strips 6, which are roughly diamond-shaped in cross-section, so that the joints between the strips are not vertical, but inclined to the perpendicular almost at angles of forty-five degrees. This causes the upper edge of one joint to extend beyond the lower edge of the next rearmost joint. In other words, the joints overlap. Longitudinal binding-strips 6 may be seated in recesses along the side edges of the seat, as indicated in the drawings, to assist in bonding the sections together and preventing their starting apart at the ends of the joints. A seat so constructed can be given any desired contour, and I have found by actual practice that the sections will split before the joints will loosen.

The back of the chair is preferably formed of a series of bent-wood strips J, which may be arranged in loop form. The lower ends of every loop or pair of strips J are preferably recessed, as at f, to engage the head ends of screws K, that are screwed into the back edge of the seat before the loops are attached. The recesses j in the meeting ends of the strips inclose the projecting heads of the screws, and when the strip ends are fastened together, as by screws or bolts L, the strips will be firmly secured in place. Bent wood or metal braces L may be interposed between adjacent pairs of strips J at the lower ends thereof and fastened to the braces by the screws or bolts L and may also be fastened to the seat by screws L The upper parts of the loops can be connected in any suitable manner and may be stiffened by braces or stays M, as indicated in the drawings.

The arms N of the chair are fastened to the back and to standards O, rising from the seat and suitably fastened thereto by the screws 0 0. These standards O are preferably shaped as shown, and in order to insure their strength and a firm connection between them and arms N, I preferably employ fastening-plates l, which are attached to the upper ends of the standards by a long screw 1 and are secured in recesses n in the under side of the arm by screws 0, as shown. The arms N are curved at rear, and in order to strengthen them they may be slotted, as at N, and this slot filled with a stiffener N formed by cementing together a number of diamond-shaped sections with inclined overlapping joints, substantially after the manner in which the seat is made.

The rear ends of legs G may be stiffened by a transverse brace G, attached to the legs and seat, as indicated in the drawings, and the front supports may be braced by the screws F", attached thereto and to the seat, as indicated in the drawings.

The manner of using the several parts and their utility has been set forth above, and further explanation thereof appears unnecessary.

.Having thus described my invention, what I therefore claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent thereon, is-

1. A chair-arm, composed of a slotted piece of wood, and a strengthening-Iilling in said slot, composed of a series of segmented sections having overlapping joints, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. Achair-arm, composed of a piece of bent wood, having a slot or recess in its bend, and a strengthening-filling for said slot, composed of a series of segmental sections having overlapping joints, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. The combination in a chair of the seat, the back, the standards attached to the seat, the arms attached to the back and projecting over the standards, and the fastening-plates attached to the tops of the standards by long screws, and secured to the under side and forward end of the arm,substantially as described.

4. In a chair, the combination of the seat and the projecting fasteners attached thereto; with a back composed of pairs of members having their lower ends recessed to embrace the projecting fastenings, and means for uniting said members.

5. In a chair, the comhinationwiththe seat In testimony that I claim the foregoing as and projecting headed screws attached there my own I aifix my signature in presence of two to; with a back composed of bent-wood strips witnesses.

having their lower ends recessed to embrace JOHN P. HOKANS. I '5 the projecting screws, and means for bracing In presence of the strips and clamping their lower ends L. E, WITHAM,

around the screws, substantially as described. JAMES R. MANSFIELD. 

